One of my personal favorite people to grace this Earth, and many other young adults, absolutely lit up the MET Gala this past Monday. Emma Chamberlain: YouTuber, podcast host, coffee company owner, goddess of fashion, frankly the best advice-giver ever… And, a secret bookworm!
In one of her most recent YouTube videos she makes the dazzling statement, “Reading makes you hot.” And, well, she is totally right. In her video, she also talks about how during the global pandemic, she had a lot of free time on her hands and she started reading. In many of her podcast episodes, she preaches the importance of reading and how it is not only good for the mind but is also good for the soul. She expresses that reading is crucial for your mental health and your growth into adulthood. It is only right that we follow her great advice and show what book she is currently raving about.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Another reason that Emma wanted to pick up reading was that she felt that she was spending too much time on social media. As an influencer, that was pretty hard for her. One of the first things she picked up was East of Eden. This book has some parallels to the story of Cain and Abel, following the theme of family issues and conflicts between siblings. A classic and a good choice, Ms. Chamberlain.
For years now Emma has been a role model for so many young girls. Many take her fashion advice as gospel. She had practically created the “thrift haul,” trend that started just a few years ago. It is so valuable that despite having a net worth of $8 million, and over 10 million followers she decides to talk about reading for over twenty minutes on her youtube video. Not for a brand deal to earn some extra cash, but for the reason that she had discovered that it helps with her anxiety and she wants to share this realization to help others who may be going through similar feelings. She addresses her audience as if they were close friends. She is friendly, she is relatable, and she is authentically herself.
She is one of the few influencers that is open about her struggles with mental illness. Emma has explicitly stated many times, “Going on my phone makes me sad.” This has been an ever-increasing issue in today’s world. So many girls are comparing themselves to others that they see on social media. So many young people are becoming more and more aware of the negative impacts that social media has on their well-being. This is something that Emma is very vocal about.
In her video, she notes that “Reading is harmless. Going on social media is not harmless. It makes you sad, it makes you compare yourself to other people. It makes you depressed.” She could not have made a truer statement.
Now, this is why Emma Chamberlain is a perfect role model for her generation. She realizes that there are many teens out there today that despise the idea of reading because it is what teachers and parents are always nagging about. Times have changed so much, as did the way young people process and absorb information; it has become a very technologically advanced world, thus reading is not very incorporated into anyone’s lives anymore. However, Emma knows how to pitch ideas and convince her audience in such a way that it sounds enjoyable. She is the type of person that can convince you to jump off a cliff if she really wanted to.
It is not just that Emma is trying to convince her audience to start reading, but she is advocating for a healthy daily routine and lifestyle. She knows how social media is addictive, and she realizes that many of her followers spend probably hours in front of a screen all day. She is showing us that if she (a literal social media influencer whose job is to post content online almost every day) can stay away from social media, so can they.
Emma is a rare personality in the influencer industry where she uses her platform for good. She strives every moment to make a positive change in society. Instead of encouraging people to spend their money on ridiculously over-priced makeup, or various products that serve no substantial purpose, she is encouraging teenagers to pick up a book and read. That is absolutely influencing done the right way. Thank you, Emma Chamberlain.
I highly recommend that everyone check out her podcast “Anything Goes” where she gives amazing advice to young people who are on the brink of adulthood, and genuinely her voice is just pleasing to listen to. You can find it on almost any streaming platform!
For more celebrity recommendations, you can find more articles here written by our fellow Bookstr team members!